A short conversation about the song lyrics of Joan Osborne

'What if God was one of us
Just a slob like one of us
Just a stranger on the bus
Trying to make his way home'

"Boy, you know what bugs me? That song by Joan Osborne, 'One of Us'. That just chaps me something fierce"

"That song is over 10 years old, but I'll bite. Why does it bug you? Is it the grammar?"

"What? No. It's because it's ridiculous. It's stupid. God isn't one of us. God is God. He can't be one of us. That's like saying what if a dog was a monkey or a cat was a turtle or a chicken was a bird. It's a stupid question."

"Actually a chicken..."

"Something can't be what it isn't. Once something becomes what it wasn't, then it becomes what it is and ceases to be what it was."

"I think maybe you're taking it too literally. To me, she's questioning the hypocrisy many people display in claiming to worship God while treating their fellow human beings so poorly. So she's wondering if things might be different if God were just some poor schlub whose job was being God."

"Being God isn't a job; it's an adventure."

"So to you, God is like the Army?"

"No, God is like the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps all in one because He is ideally suited to perform under pressure in any and all conditions. Also, because His efforts are still vastly unappreciated by many."

"Wow. You've actually put some thought into this one."

"My point is, if God was one of us, He wouldn't be God; he'd be Steve or Reggie or Bill."

"Or Cathy. Or Ahmed."

"Now you're not even taking it seriously."